Coaches batting aid



Jan. 13, 1970 D, J. MORELLI ETAL 3,489,411

COACHES BATTING AID Filed July 31, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l i P EZ/WVK4/0254 4/ 4 $6 WW M 6 7 roan/EV Jan. 13, 1970 D. J. MORELLI ET ALCOACHES BATTING AID 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 51, 1967 //v VEA/ 7-0/25 flaw/waz M12654 4/ U N W FM y 5 United States Patent 3,489,411 COACHESBATTING AID Dominick J. Morelli and Frank Morelli, Melville, N.Y.,

assignors to Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg, Ak-

tiengesellschaft, Augsburg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed July31, 1967, Ser. No. 657,332 Int. Cl. A63b 69/00 US. Cl. 27326 8 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A batting teaching device for baseballbatting practice having a base and an elongated support horizontallypositioned on the top side of the base. The horizontal support carries avertical telescoping tubular pedestal which is vertically adjustable andwhich also is horizontally adjustable lengthwise of the support. Theupper end of the tubular pedestal has afl'lxed thereto the lower end ofa co-axial flexible hose which at its upper end is adapted to support abaseball. The horizontal support is angularly adjustable on the base.The underside of the base is provided either with spikes for outdoor useor suction cups for indoor use.

This invention relates to a baseball batting practice device and as itsprimary object serves as a tracking aid to baseball coaches in givingpractice to players in hitting the ball out in front of the plate and onthe inside and outside corners of the plate.

Another object of this invention relates to providing a home plate basewhich carries a pivoted horizontal support that is angularly adjustableand on which is mounted for longitudinal adjustment therealong anupstanding telescoping tubular pedestal having aflixed to its upper enda flexible hose adapted to seat a baseball on its uppermost free end.

A further object of the invention relates to having the pedestaladjustable as to its height and the provision of limit stops at eachside of the home plate for limiting the angular adjustment of thehorizontal support.

A still further object of the invention relates to provide the underside of the home plate base with removable spikes for securing the baseon the ground when the device is used outdoors which spikes may bereplaced with suction cups for securing the base on a floor surface whenthe device is to be used indoors.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, our inventionmay be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described within the scope of the appendedclaims.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the batting device in positionfor use.

FIGURE 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken on line 22, FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of a limit stop.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the home plate base with angularly adjustablehorizontal pedestal support thereon.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical elevational view partly in section of the battingdevice.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the batting device is shown in itsentirety in FIGURE 1 and is seen to consist of a base 12, a horizontalsupport 14, and a pedestal 16 topped by a flexible baseball carrier 18.

The base 12 may be made of plywood or metal in the shape and dimensionsof a home plate having parallel sides 20, 21, rear inclined sides 22, 23and front side 24. The rear point 25 of the base 12 lies in thelongitudinal medial axis of the base. Inwardly of the rear base point 25there is provided in the base 12 a bushing 26 that is suitably fixedtherein for the reception of a bolt 28, see FIGURE 5, for a purpose tobe hereinafter described.

The horizontal support 14 is a metal channel member, preferablyaluminum, disposed with its web 30 uppermost and with the edges of itslegs 31, 32 engaging the upper surface of base 12. The horizontalsupport 14 is of a length considerably greater than the longitudinallength of base 12 and is provided in its web 30 with a longitudinal slot34 the ends of which terminate adjacent the ends 35, 36 of the support.Provided in the web 30 adjacent end 35 is an opening 37 through whichbolt 28 extends. A wing nut 38 on the projecting end of bolt 28 seats onWasher 39 to clamp the horizontal support 14 in fixed adjusted positionon the base 12. A like washer 40 is provided under the head of bolt 28.A pair of legs 42, 43 depend from the inside of web 30 adjacent end 36and are rigidly secured thereto in any desired manner. The legs 42, 43are of a length such as to support the front end of the horizontalsupport 14 on the surface on which the base 12 rests. The angularposition of the horizontal support 14 may be adjusted to that desired byloosening wing nut 38 and swinging the support 14 about bolt 28 to theselected position, at which it is clamped in place by tightening thewing nut 38. Secured as by screws 46 to each of the inclined sides 22,23 of the base 12 is an upstanding limit plate or stop 48 which as shownin FIG- URES 3 and 4 serves to limit the outward angular adjustment ofthe horizontal support 14.

The pedestal 16 consists of a lower metal tube 50 and an upper metaltube 52 telescoping therewithin. The lower end of tube 58 is rigidlysecured as by welds 53 to the upper surface of web 54 of an invertedchannel member 55 providing a pedestal base 56. The channel member 55 isof a Width slightly less than the width of horizontal channel support14, see FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, so as to insure that the edges of its legswill wholly engage the web 30 of horizontal support 14. The lower tube50' extends vertical upwardly from the pedestal base 56. Provided in theweb 54 adjacent each end thereof is a bolt receiving opening 58.Extending upwardly through slot 34 and through openings 58 are a pair ofbolts 60, '61, carrying on their outer ends wing nuts 62, 63 and washers64. Like washers 65 are disposed under the heads of bolts 68, 61. As isapparent, the pedestal base 56 is movable along the horizontal support14 and is locked in its selected adjusted position by the wing nuts 62,63 and bolts 60, 61.

The lower tube 50 carries a set screw 70 for locking the uppertelescoping tube 52 in selected vertical position relative to tube 50.

The flexible baseball carrier 18 is preferably a rubber corrugated hose72 the lower end 73 of which is slipped over the upper end of upper tube52 and is secured thereto as by a conventional hose clamp 74. Theterminal edge of the upper end 76 of hose 72 lies in a plane normal tothe axis of the hose and may be chamfered to provide a seat 77 for abaseball 78. The rubber hose 72 will flex when the baseball 78 is hitacting as a shock absorber, and will also give in the event the playermisses hitting the baseball and hits the hose thereby preventing damageto the batting device.

In the use of the batting device the pedestal 16 is adjusted so as toplace the baseball 78 at the proper height and distance from the base 12(home plate), in the manner readily apparent, by the respective movementto selected positions of upper tube 52 and pedestal base 56. This willplace baseball 78 in the desired location with relation to the player,see FIGURE 1, practicing on the batting device. Also the pedestal 1 6may be positioned by selectively varying the angular position of thehorizontal support 14, see FIGURE 4. The batting device when practicedthereon will teach the player to hit inside pitches, outside pitches aswell as to hit the baseball out in front of the base (home plate). Thebatting device may be used either by a right or left hand player.

When the batting device 10 is used outdoors the base 12 is provided onits underside with a plurality of spikes 80 disposed at the corners ofthe base to penetrate into the ground so as to hold the base in fixedposition. Provided in the base 12 at each corner thereof, see FIGURE 2,is a flanged internally threaded socket 82 secured in the base 12 in anydesired manner. The upper ends of the spikes 80 are each threaded forengagement within an associated socket for ready attachment thereto ordetachment therefrom.

When it is desired to use the batting device indoors, the spikes 80 areremoved from sockets 82 and replaced with suction cups 84, each having athreaded stem 85 for engagement within an associated socket. The vacuumcups 84 will securely hold the base 12 on a floor surface 86, see FIGURE5.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown anddescribed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in theforms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A baseball practice batting device comprising:

(a) a base,

(b) an elongated horizontal support seated on said base and pivoted atone end to a rear portion of said base,

(c) means at said rear portion of said base securing said horizontalsupport in selected fixed angular positions on said base and about whichsaid horizontal support pivots,

(d) a pedestal longitudinally adjustable on said horizontal support andextending vertically upwardly therefrom,

(e) a flexible baseball carrier secured to the upper end of saidpedestal,

(f) an annular seat on said flexible carrier for receiving a baseballthereon,

wherein:

(g) said base is in the form of a home plate having rearwardly inclinedsides to provide a rear pointed end,

(h) said horizontal support is of a length exceeding the longitudinallength of said base such as to extend beyond the front side thereof,

wherein:

(i) said horizontal support is a channel member having its webuppermost,

(j) there being a longitudinal slot in said web terminating adjacent theforward and rear ends of said channel member horizontal support,

(k) said securing means being disposed adjacent the rear pointed end ofsaid base and connected to the rear end of said channel memberhorizontal support, and

(1) bolt means extending through said longitudinal slot connected tosaid pedestal and providing with said slot the longitudinal adjustmentof said pedestal to selected positions on said horizontal support.

2. The batting device of claim 1, wherein said pedestal includes:

(a) a pedestal base seated on said channel member horizontal support,

(b) there being bolt receiving openings in said pedestal base throughwhich said bolt means extend, and (c) a wing nut on each bolt meanscoacting therewith to clamp said pedestal base to said channel memberhorizontal support.

3. The batting device of claim 2, wherein:

(a) said securing means comprises a bolt member extending upwardly fromsaid base and through the rear end of said channel member horizontalsupport, and

(b) a wing nut on said bolt member coacting therewith to clamp saidhorizontal support to said base.

4. The batting device of claim 3, including:

(a) a stop member secured to each of the rearwardly inclined sides ofsaid base and extending above the upper surface thereof for limiting theoutward angular adjustment of the channel member horizontal support.

5. The batting device of claim 4, wherein said pedestal comprises:

(a) a lower tube,

(b) an upper tube telescoping within the lower tube,

(c) said lower tube having its lower end secured to said pedestal base,and

(d) means carried by one of said tubes for locking said tubes inselected telescoping relation.

6. The batting device of claim 5, wherein said flexible baseball carriercomprises:

(a) a flexible and resilient non-metallic hose member,

(b) a clamp fastener means securing the lower end of said hose member tothe upper end of said upper tube, and

(c) the upper terminal end of said hose member forming said annular seatfor the baseball.

7. The batting device of claim 6, including:

(a) a plurality of socket means on the underside of said base, and

(b) a securing member connected to each socket means and readilyattachable to and detachable therefrom.

8. The batting device of claim 7, wherein:

(a) each said socket means is internally threaded, and

(h) each said securing member is a threaded spike,

whereby when said spikes are attached to the base the batting device maybe anchored to the ground for outdoor use and when the batting device isto be used indoors, the spikes may be replaced by vacuum cups.

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,964,316 12/1960 Rose 273-263,139,282 6/1964 Lande 2734-26 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner '1,BROWN, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OFCORRECTION Patent No- 3,489 ,411 Dated January 13'. 1970 DOMINICK J.MORELLI ET. AL.

Inventofls) It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, lines 4, 5 and 6, cancel "assignors to MaschinenfabrikAugsburg-Nurnberg, Aktiengesellschaft,

Augsburg, Germany, a corporation of Germany" Signed and sealed this 6thday of August 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON, JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

